blackcatsandbaddecisions

Ok ready to post my final before and after photos. Before is around 350lbs, 3 or 4xl shirt. My highest ever confirmed weight was 356 and this was very close to that date in 2014. The other is today, wearing a size medium shirt. Surgery was June 12, 2020, weight 334lbs, 6’4” BMI 40. I hit this weight (193) about 10 months post op and have been maintaining fairly evenly since (up a couple down a couple etc). For anyone on the fence about surgery, do your research but don’t let the scary stories you read here overwhelm you or give you a false sense of their frequency. Yes, bad things can and do happen in any endeavor. No one has a crystal ball, but the statistics of health issues from being obese and the statistics of coming through gastric surgery safely and enjoying positive results speak for themselves. I never dreamed I would feel this good again. I didn’t even think I was that fat…. Just a “big guy.” Looking back at old photos I’m mortified. Looking forward I’m so optimistic and full of life and joy. I feel like this is the “me” that has always been in there, hiding, hoping, waiting to come out. What “you” do you have inside longing to come out and face the world?

My weight said 180 for so many years- they never asked me if I needed to update and I didn’t offer, so my weight kept saying 180 even when I was around 340- yikes. I’m currently only 6 lbs from that lie, so when I renew next year I can either keep the weight there or hopefully be lower than that?

Thank goodness I didn’t go missing anytime in the last 15 or so years because if they advertised that the missing woman was 180 they’d have never found me even if they were looking straight at me.

Interesting thing about Vitamins is that after about 6 months I had to switch from bariatric vitamins because some of my
levels were too high, specifically Iron and Vitamin D. So my costs aren’t high at all.

My husband never even stepped foot in the hospital. Dropped me off at the door and picked me up, due to covid. I was fine, and I’d probably do the same thing even if covid hadn’t been a thing.

I was worried I’d never be able to eat normally again, I would have a leak, and that I wouldn’t lose weight. I’d say I eat very normally now (9 months out), I had no complications, and I’ve lost 158 lbs, so all fears were unfounded.

My advice to everyone in life is to stay far away from Facebook. Your life will be better for it! This site has great advice.

They asked me what my goal weight was and I picked a weight I’d been at once and had felt I looked good at. In a healthy weight range, etc. I’ve lost 158 lbs so far and I have 16 lbs left to go to get to that weight. I think my actual goal may end up being lower than that, just based on seeing myself at this weight.

So I wouldn’t get too caught up on it- hard for most of us to know what we want when we are so far off from it.

They asked me what my goal weight was and I picked a weight I’d been at once and had felt I looked good at. In a healthy weight range, etc. I’ve lost 158 lbs so far and I have 16 lbs left to go to get to that weight. I think my actual goal may end up being lower than that, just based on seeing myself at this weight.

So I wouldn’t get too caught up on it- hard for most of us to know what we want when we are so far off from it.

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

I always said that being morbidly obese had hundreds of different small inconveniences and downsides that just added up every day. 150+ lbs down and I have a whole list, some things I didn’t even realize were possible
Fitting into my wedding rings
Wearing straight size clothing, and being able to actually wear hot weather clothing
My thighs not rubbing against each other
Feeling energized and athletic, and excited to do things instead of dreading what I can’t do. I don’t feel exhausted by just hauling around my body all day.
Not being humiliated by pictures of myself
Yes, people treat you better when you’re normal sized. And yes, I’ll probably feel bitter about that forever.
Not having kids ask if I’m pregnant anymore!
And just a million other things. Just small realizations throughout the day of dumb, small stuff. I can fit in this small toilet stall, I can wear high heels and they don’t hurt, I can make a doctor appointment for something and have them take me seriously, etc. I could list things all day.

Surgery and losing the weight is 100% worth it. I still have 21.4 lbs to lose to goal, and even still I feel amazing each day.

So I’ll ignore the subject of your husband because I think others have said enough, but depending on how strict the hospital is being about covid you might not have an issue regardless. I had surgery during the last surge (November) and I was dropped off at the front door and picked up with no questions asked of who he was. He wasn’t even allowed out of the car. They tried to call my husband while I was in the hospital twice and he never picked up because he just never hears his phone. Didn’t stop them from discharging me.

I know from working in health care that sometimes people’s rides home fall through. I wouldn’t be warning them about it before surgery, though. And once the surgery is done it’s not like they can take it back. If you insist on leaving they will generally release you whenever you want, it’s very hard for a hospital to hold someone against their will. People do take taxis home after surgery on occasion. Lots of emergency surgeries happen out there and sadly there are a lot of people who find themselves without a ride home- not like a hospital is going to let someone’s appendix burst because they don’t have family or friends waiting.

I think your best bet is to hire someone from care website, but just sharing my experience!

I always said that being morbidly obese had hundreds of different small inconveniences and downsides that just added up every day. 150+ lbs down and I have a whole list, some things I didn’t even realize were possible
Fitting into my wedding rings
Wearing straight size clothing, and being able to actually wear hot weather clothing
My thighs not rubbing against each other
Feeling energized and athletic, and excited to do things instead of dreading what I can’t do. I don’t feel exhausted by just hauling around my body all day.
Not being humiliated by pictures of myself
Yes, people treat you better when you’re normal sized. And yes, I’ll probably feel bitter about that forever.
Not having kids ask if I’m pregnant anymore!
And just a million other things. Just small realizations throughout the day of dumb, small stuff. I can fit in this small toilet stall, I can wear high heels and they don’t hurt, I can make a doctor appointment for something and have them take me seriously, etc. I could list things all day.

Surgery and losing the weight is 100% worth it. I still have 21.4 lbs to lose to goal, and even still I feel amazing each day.

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

I definitely had that happen at my highest weight. I've taken more than 1 chair with me! [emoji23]
I'm 172 pounds down, and it's still weird that I fit into chairs now. I still find myself checking out chairs at places wondering if they'll fit, and then I realize "Oh wait! I don't have to worry about that anymore!"
I've been bruised from chairs like the ones you described in the conference room. I don't miss that!

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Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

I’m just gonna say that diarrhea has never been a problem for me- quite the opposite. 😒

No problems with fruit or vegetable intake here- I probably eat more than I did pre surgery.

My biggest obstacles are eating too much at night (for whatever reason I come home and that’s just the non stop eat fest in my head), keeping all snack food out of the house (keep that temptation at the grocery store!) and being patient as weight loss slows down. It goes at such a breakneck pace for the first few months that you start feeling like something is wrong when you start “only” losing 2 or so pounds a week. I’m 17 lbs from goal and in the first few months I was losing that every few weeks- now I’m hoping to get there by November at this rate.

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

I find it super annoying that people need to stress how supportive their spouses are obviously knowing yours is not. Literally no advice, just a boast on “my husbands better than yours” pretty much .. anyways .. understanding that your husband is unsupportive, I really stress to please try and find a support system! Even if paid, you will need support. Not to mention your hormones will be everywhere and that alone is a big one post surgery!

9 months in- my sleeve is officially a full term baby! Weighing in today at 184.6, total weight loss of 154.4 lbs. I lost 8.2 lbs last month, which doesn’t seem like a lot but as I get closer to my goal weight it keeps getting more and more difficult to shed those last pounds! I have less than 20 lbs to go to get to 165.

Work has been difficult as we move into another Covid surge, and as my mother’s health is rapidly declining- this may be the first time in my life that I’m not handling stress with overeating. I am still moving forward with losing weight- goal or bust!

At this point it is so obvious how to derail a surgery- I can eat pretty much anything. I know I wouldn’t still be losing weight if I was just relying on my surgery for Portion Control. If you get this surgery you have to take a look at what you are eating and be realistic if it’s only portions that’s causing your weight or if it’s the food too. The surgery helps so much but past the first few months it won’t carry you anymore. You have to be making the right choices.

This next month I’m super excited to get into the 170s! It would be awesome if I could reach 175 but anywhere in that range is fine.

I always said that being morbidly obese had hundreds of different small inconveniences and downsides that just added up every day. 150+ lbs down and I have a whole list, some things I didn’t even realize were possible
Fitting into my wedding rings
Wearing straight size clothing, and being able to actually wear hot weather clothing
My thighs not rubbing against each other
Feeling energized and athletic, and excited to do things instead of dreading what I can’t do. I don’t feel exhausted by just hauling around my body all day.
Not being humiliated by pictures of myself
Yes, people treat you better when you’re normal sized. And yes, I’ll probably feel bitter about that forever.
Not having kids ask if I’m pregnant anymore!
And just a million other things. Just small realizations throughout the day of dumb, small stuff. I can fit in this small toilet stall, I can wear high heels and they don’t hurt, I can make a doctor appointment for something and have them take me seriously, etc. I could list things all day.

Surgery and losing the weight is 100% worth it. I still have 21.4 lbs to lose to goal, and even still I feel amazing each day.

First I want to say thank you to so many of the veteran posters on here. I hope you gals and guys know how much your experiences and feedback have helped me and I suspect many others. There's just such a fantastic mix of people and experiences - It's great knowing you aren't alone in this journey.

The first few months after surgery were easy. The weight was simply falling off, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat or drink - And better yet, I couldn't overeat because of the restriction. I felt fantastic most of the time, had all sorts of NSV's and loved my new life. From August until January I lost almost 50lbs - I was so close to Wonderland I could taste it. THEN reality struck - Suddenly I was one of those "slow losers" - It took almost 2 months to lose 13lbs. UGH, I WAS going to be one of those slow losers. OK, fine, I'm 52 and it is what it is, right? From January until May, I "only" lost 33lbs. Again, every week/month I told myself that I would lose the weight, I was just in some sort of a stall and things would magically pick up. Well, they didn't, I would lose 2-3 lbs and then I would gain 2-3 lbs. Again, "it's normal" I told myself.

Fast forward to a week ago - I jumped on here for some motivation (reading stories, etc.) and I took a hard look at what I was doing. Basically, I was being lazy - I was eating whatever I wanted and justifying it by saying "I only eat small portions" - Well, yeah, that was true...BUT I was grazing, I was drinking too much alcohol, and I wasn't tracking. I honetly have no idea how many calories I was consuming (especially on weekends with family and friends). I played mind games with myself and said "As long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing things right." - Well, that was a giant load of (@*$.

This past Tuesday (after a weekend of Mimosa's, Crown Royal, and some really great BBQ), I woke up to a 5lb gain (BTW, yes I realize some of that was Water retention). WAKE UP CALL. 5lbs? Seriously - Time to go back to basics before that's a 10lb gain. For the first time in MONTHS, I tracked every thing I tracked everything that went into my mouth (water, food, etc) - I did 3 days of liquid - In two days, those 5lbs were off. Rather than what I've done in the past, I didn't stop there - I continued tracking, I continued being cognizant of what and when I was eating. I said "no" to many things that I thought I wanted. I lost 6.8lbs from Tuesday to Sunday. What? I'm NOT a slow loser - I'm a LAZY loser.

Folks, for many of us, it's EASY in the first few months, it's EASY to convince ourselves that we're doing OK, it's EASY to compare ourselves to others, it's EASY to ignore signs that you're falling into bad habits, and it's EASY to get lazy. In reality, it's HARD to stick to your plan when you're feeling fantastic and patting yourself on the back for losing so much weight. I'm choosing to be thankful that this happened now rather than 2-3 years into it. I'm glad that reality smacked me in the face and forced me to face the fact that i wasn't doing what I needed to do. Right now it was EASY to get back on track before I let it get out of control. For those of you experiencing the same - Buckle up buttercup, start tracking, weigh yourself often if you need to, and take a good look and when and why you're losing weight and when and why you aren't.

Again, a very special thank you to you old timers for always keeping things real and giving out such fantastic advice.

I literally posted about this a couple weeks ago. I was worried that with surging covid cases, they would shut down the elective surgeries again. My surgery was scheduled for tomorrow. This morning about 10 am, the nurses called me to give me instructions for pre-surgery. Then they called me at noon to tell me they were canceling me.

The worst part is that my husband lost his job, and I’m losing my insurance. This isn’t going to happen for me. I’m devastated. I’ve been crying since they told me. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do now. I’ve been on liquids for a week. I just feel like.... I have jumped through every one of the hoops for this insurance. I waited months the first time the hospitals were shut down. Finally got a consult. Finally got a date. Made it to THE DAY BEFORE.... I just don’t even know.

I always said that being morbidly obese had hundreds of different small inconveniences and downsides that just added up every day. 150+ lbs down and I have a whole list, some things I didn’t even realize were possible
Fitting into my wedding rings
Wearing straight size clothing, and being able to actually wear hot weather clothing
My thighs not rubbing against each other
Feeling energized and athletic, and excited to do things instead of dreading what I can’t do. I don’t feel exhausted by just hauling around my body all day.
Not being humiliated by pictures of myself
Yes, people treat you better when you’re normal sized. And yes, I’ll probably feel bitter about that forever.
Not having kids ask if I’m pregnant anymore!
And just a million other things. Just small realizations throughout the day of dumb, small stuff. I can fit in this small toilet stall, I can wear high heels and they don’t hurt, I can make a doctor appointment for something and have them take me seriously, etc. I could list things all day.

Surgery and losing the weight is 100% worth it. I still have 21.4 lbs to lose to goal, and even still I feel amazing each day.

Wohooo!
I just heard back from the HR department from my company. They will add GSV to insurance covered procedures list effective September 1st. My surgery date is November 12th. Now I got choices.

There’s so many to list.
- not having the bone pain from excess weight
- not being on a list of medications
-being able to cross my legs again
-being able to walk more without pain or sweating up a storm ..ugh
-being able to cruise again without thinking I won’t be able to walk the ports
- being more active